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Couldn’t make it to Hub 2013 Europe? Fear not; our reporter on the ground took down every detail. This four part series relives the day and recalls some of the key points that came out of the conference.

It’s not often the case that discussion at a tech conference revolves as much around “improved lives” as it does around “improved processes.” However, at Hub Europe 2013, the idea resurfaced again and again throughout the afternoon’s customer panels and conversations.

The first panel, “Starting the Journey with Anaplan – Be Agile,” illustrated the difference between the waterfall implementation methodology – the nine to twelve month process common in most legacy implementations – and Anaplan’s agile iterative process, which is comprised of a series of sprints. Customers shared stories of implementing the platform faster than they had dreamed was even possible: four months, three months, two months, and even less.

After listening to her fellow panel members, one of Anaplan’s newest enterprise customers (who is about to enter implementation herself) had this to say: “I was worried I’d have to put my day job on hold to implement Anaplan. What I’ve heard today has put those fears to rest.” Another partner was overheard saying, “My life is so much better since I started using Anaplan. It’s a win-win for me and the customer. They’re happy with what I implement and I’m happy knowing I’m giving them value.”

The second customer panel, “Going Viral with Anaplan” focused on the ease of adoption. The discussion uncovered an interesting point: pre-Anaplan, customers considered the adoption process of new planning systems with a painful uphill battle – a process where old ways were reluctantly abandoned to make way for new – and not necessarily ‘better’ – tools. With Anaplan, many commented that the platform caught on so quickly that they hit the ground running after implementation. The instant collaboration enabled by the plaform also made them take a closer look at organizational interaction. “It increases the responsibility,” said one panelist, explaining that the platform had forced his enterprise to confront larger questions about process.

To be sure, the symbiosis on display between Anaplan and the Anaplanner owes much to an exceptional product, but just as exceptional is Anaplan’s diehard commitment to customer satisfaction. It was this commitment that CEO Fred Laluyaux chose to emphasize during the “Let’s Chat” discussion that closed out the day. “What makes Anaplan different?” he asked, and answered his question with four key values:

Disruption

Speed

Integrity

Accountability

It was number four he chose to dwell on, suggesting that Anaplan’s distinction was due to the way the company had chosen to tie their own success so deeply to that of their customers. “We do whatever it takes to make you successful,” said Fred. “We’re 100% accountable, and it’s that accountability that makes us different. We’re in this together. Our fate is your fate.”

Judging by the laughter and banter at the happy hour that followed, Anaplanners are very happy with that relationship. TEST TEST TEST

About the Author

Anaplan is the leading planning and performance management platform for smart businesses. Anaplan combines an unrivaled planning and modeling engine, predictive analytics, and cloud collaboration into one simple interface for business users. Anaplan is a privately held company based in San Francisco with 17 offices worldwide.